Playing With Your Food – Page 3

New Crop of Farmers Being Sought For Salem Market

History, Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Farmers Market, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News No Responses »

Mar 042016

FarmersMarket_Salem_Logo_Large

Do you grow or produce a local food item and are looking to cultivate mass community exposure? The field is open for you to participate as a vendor at the 2016 Salem Farmers’ Market! Applications are being accepted now through March 11 by Salem Main Streets. This next session will operate in downtown Salem in Derby Square, Thursdays from 3-7 pm, June 9 – October 13, 2016.

Applications can be downloaded from www.salemfarmersmarket.org. Booth space is $30 a week for a 10’ x 10’ spot, $60 for a 10’ x 20’ spot, and $90 for a 10’ by 30’ spot. There is a discount for prepayment of the entire season.

“We are so proud of our market vendors, and we hope to see many returning, but we’re also always on the look-out for the next up and coming business,” said Salem Main Streets Executive Director Kylie Sullivan. “This is the perfect opportunity for both newer small businesses looking to get to the next level, as well as established businesses looking to reach a new audience.”

All products must be grown or produced in New England. If a farmer is selling any items he/she did not grow, the farm of origin must be listed. Vendors may label items organic only if they are certified.

Non-farm products must be high quality, locally made, take skill and creativity, and the vendor must add at least 75% of the total value to the product. The product(s) should be complementary to a farmers’ market.

Now in its eighth year, the market welcomes an average of 2,000+ customers weekly. The market is made possible through the leadership of Salem Main Streets and the Farmers’ Market Committee, as well as the generous contributions of numerous volunteers.

For more information please contact Salem Main Streets Executive Director Kylie Sullivan via email at kylie@salemmainstreets.org or phone at 978-744-0004 x15. To get the latest updates about the market, visit our website at www.salemfarmersmarket.org, or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SalemMAFarmersMarket) or on Twitter (@salemfarmersmarket).

Weekend Culture Fest Draws Upon Diversity of Salem Area Talent

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Jul 172015

CULTURE: The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group — The Oxford Dictionaries

If you want to not only see but experience those words being put into action, come to the Salem Common on July 18th and/or 19th for the 9th Annual Salem CultureFest!

This free admission festival invites, encourages and gives opportunity to the many cultures of the area (the Salem community alone has over 15 different cultures) to come together in celebration of their diversity and unity through drumming, dancing, crafts, art, food, and entertainment. Click here for the full schedule

Each year the Salem CultureFest, produced by A3D, Inc., a non-profit organization of musicians, volunteers, and activists, draws around 2,000 people from all over New England.

This year they will have one central location for stage performers by the Salem Common Gazebo, plus a family-friendly parade each day of the weekend. And, especially for the kids: moon bounce, face painting, pony rides, and more.

Festival organizers indicate that they will also have “over 50 vendors participating with wares ranging from framed art and photos, several types of jewelry, pottery, balloons, toys, carvings, candles, hand-loomed scarves, food, shirts, hats, and more. Most of what you will find at this festival is handmade, available directly from the artists who crafted them.”

Salem CultureFest proceeds support education & medical supplies in Senegal, West Africa; A3D has thus far raised over $30,000 to provide new sewing machines, desks, and computers to Senegalese women and school children. This year a special goal has been set to raise $3,000 to specifically address medical supply needs for early 2016.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Salem Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Come to the Salem Common and let your five senses each experience the diversity that the Salem CultureFest has to offer, 10am – 8pm on July 18th and 10am – 6 pm on July 18th.

Snowstorms! Seahawks! Salem You Need a Sweet Break!

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Feb 052015

Snowstorms to the left; snowstorms to the right. And the Seattle Seahawks in between. Salem sure has had a lot in the news to contend with over the past week. But we weathered the weather and the Patriots took the air out of the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl. Now it’s….. chocolate time! Our annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival (Feb. 6 – 15, 2015) is about to get underway and what a way to celebrate the Super Bowl victory, spoil your loved one and forget about the weather than with some wine, chocolate and fun events to warm the heart.

Our week-long celebration leading up to Valentine’s Day kicks off Friday, Feb. 6, 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Colonial Hall at Rockafellas with a chocolate extravaganza. If it’s chocolatey and a restaurant or store sells it in the city, then it will most likely be represented at one of the sampling tables. For the price of admission, one glass is given to each ticket holder to fill and refill all evening, tasting wines that go with chocolate.

And then there is the chocolate. And not just chocolate (we love saying that). There have been in the past chocolate-covered pretzels & cherries, mousse, a chocolate wine, chocolate ice cream, cakes, cookies, etc. etc. etc. It’s ok. Indulge. We won’t tell.

2015 Participating Merchants

62 Restaurant and Wine Bar
Adriatic Restaurant and Bar
Artemisia Botanicals
Caffé Graziani
Coffee Time Bake Shop
Far From the Tree Hard Cider
Gulu-Gulu Café
Harbor Sweets
Jodi Bee Bakes
Melita Fiore Patisserie
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt
Pamplemousse
Rockafellas
Salem Waterfront Hotel
Salem Wine Imports
Turtle Alley Chocolates
Victoria Station & Vic’s Boathouse
Village Tavern
Ye Olde Pepper Companie

There is of course more to the Festival, such as our popular Ice Sculptures, and promotions offered by individual merchants. More on these in our next blog.

Reminder, tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased over the phone at 978-744-0004, online here, or in person at the Salem Chamber of Commerce, 265 Essex Street, Suite 101. Don’t delay, they usually sell out very quickly.

Wine Tasting Benefit, Something To Drink To

Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Nov 132014

When is a wine tasting more than just a wine tasting? When it takes place in Salem Ma, of course. The 7th Annual Grand Wine Tasting is set for Nov.14th at the historic Hawthorne Hotel; as always, it is expected to be a sell-out. And not just for the fine wines available. But also because proceeds benefit local organizations such as the Salem Athenaeum, Historic Salem Inc., Historic New England, and Hamilton Hall.

The event is sponsored by Salem Wine Imports, which knows what it is doing, since it holds its own weekly wine tastings every Tuesday and Thursday.

“We are so excited for everyone to come together once again and enjoy so many delicious wines and varietals – there is literally something for everyone,” announces Kathy Genis, Salem Wine Imports owner.

“Most importantly,” she adds, “it’s an enjoyable way to support these amazing institutions that play such an integral part of keeping our local history alive.”

Gives a different meaning to drinking to someone’s health.

The event will also include a silent auction featuring bottled wine and passes from the popular Salem Food Tours. The Wine Tasting will run from 7- 9:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased online at www.localwineevents.com or by calling 978-741-9463.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Playing With Your Food – Week 17

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Oct 092014

Garlic Dill pickles ready for the fridge

“Playing With Your Food” is a weekly post highlighting a few of the many great uses for the wide range of produce and artisan food at the Salem Farmers’ Market, a Salem Main Streets project. The Salem Farmers’ Market takes place every Thursday from June 12 to October 23 from 3 pm to 7 pm on Derby Square. While we can never predict exactly what our farms will be able to bring each week, we do our best to reflect some of the fun items we’ve found recently and what’s likely to be available for the upcoming week. Hopefully this will give you a few new ideas to play with, and inspire you to try some new things at the market.

The fall weather is upon us! For many people, that means baking, roasting, and other warm, aromatic tasks. As for me, I pickle. Now, I understand that most people do their pickling and preserving in the summer, but much like the grasshopper in the fable, I am sometimes too happy enjoying my fresh produce during the summer to plan ahead for the winter. But with the first crisp in the air, I suddenly panic about all the wonderful produce I’ll be missing in January and start pickling everything in sight.

That said, I’m unreasonably suspicious about my ability to can pickles. I don’t actually trust myself and refuse to believe that they’ve sealed correctly. For this reason, I tend to stick with fridge pickles, where no canning is required – but it does mean that they’re not “shelf stable” so you’ll be sacrificing fridge space. Here are a few of our favorites: